NCRL subject guide 2018-05 doi:10.7289/V5/SG-NCRL-18-05 Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan Resource Guide: Windowpane Flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus) Bibliography Hope Shinn, Librarian, NOAA Central Library February 2018 U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research NOAA Central Library – Silver Spring, Maryland Table of Contents Background.............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Scope .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Sources Reviewed .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Section I – Biology .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Section II – Ecology ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Section III – Fisheries ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Section IV – Management .................................................................................................................................. 11 2 Background & Scope The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) was implemented in 1986 to reduce fishing mortality of heavily fished groundfish stocks and to promote rebuilding to sustainable biomass levels. Thirteen species are managed through plan amendments and framework adjustments to the original plan, including: Atlantic cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, American plaice, witch flounder (grey sole), winter flounder (black back), Acadian redfish, white hake, Pollock, windowpane flounder, ocean pout, Atlantic halibut, and the Atlantic wolffish. This bibliography focuses on windowpane flounder, and is intended as a primer and reference resource for staff of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries office. It is organized into four sections: Biology (life history), Ecology (interaction with the environment), Fishery, and Management. Section I – Biology Section one is intended to provide an overview of the life history of windowpane flounder. The research in this area is a compilation of basic facts including diet, lifespan and habitat as well as current research on windowpane flounder biology. Section II – Ecology Section two is intended to provide an overview of how windowpane flounder interacts with the environment. The citations in this area focus on how temperature, food resources, and other environmental factors impact windowpane flounder. Section III – Fisheries Section three is intended to provide an overview of the windowpane flounder fishery. It covers reports on fish stock status over the last fifteen years and includes one source on historical groundfish fisheries in the Northeast United States. Section IV – Management Section four is intended to provide an overview of the management of windowpane flounder. It includes news articles and research concerning plans and policies intended to protect windowpane and other flounder. Sources Reviewed Along with a web search for news items and other relevant materials the following databases were used to identify sources: Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded, Nexis.com, ProQuest’s Science and Technology, and JSTOR. Only English language materials were included. There was no date range specification in order to cover any relevant research, although priority was given to publication in the last twenty years. 3 Section I: Biology Image from the NEFSC Photo Gallery Also known as: Sand Dab, Sand Flounder, Papermouth. Region: Found in the Northwest Atlantic from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida. The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan divides the windowpane into two stocks, northern and southern, based on their location relative to Georges Bank. 4 Image source: Hendrickson, L. (2006, December 2006). "Windowpane flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus)." Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US 2018, from https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/fldrs/window/. This shows relative windowpane flounder stock weight and location. Yellow circles indicate windowpane flounder are present, larger circles indicate more windowpane flounder, plus sign (+) indicates sampled area where no windowpane flounder were found. 5 Image source: Hendrickson, L. (2006, December 2006). "Windowpane flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus)." Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US 2018, from https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/fldrs/window/. Habitat: Windowpane flounder prefer sandy and muddy bottoms of bays and estuaries, at depths that range from the shoreline to 60 meters. They are most abundant from Georges Bank to Chesapeake Bay. Size: Adult windowpane flounder grow to about 22 cm TL though they have been found up to 45 cm TL. Physical Description: Windowpane flounder are a flatfish with both eyes on the left side of the body, and the mouth points to the left. They have an arched lateral line and tend to be more round than other flatfish. It is possible to see through the fish when it is held to the light, hence the name 6 “windowpane.” These fish are light brown to olive green in color, with irregular dark and some white spots on the length of the body and on the fins. The blind side is colorless. Lifespan: Windowpane may live up to eight years of age, and females reach maturity between three and four years. Due to a split spawning season for most populations of windowpane, spring- spawned fish may have longer life expectancies than the autumn-spawned cohort. Diet: Most windowpane feed on small crustaceans, small fishes and various fish larvae, including those of their own species. Neuman, M. J. and K. W. Able (2003). "Inter-cohort differences in spatial and temporal settlement patterns of young-of-the-year windowpane (Scophthalmus aquosus) in southern New Jersey." Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 56(3-4): 527-538. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7714(02)00203-2 The timing and location of settlement of two cohorts (spring and fall) of windowpane (Scophthalmus aquosus) were identified based on collections from 64 sampling locations along a corridor from the lower estuary, through the inlet, and on to the adjacent inner continental shelf in southern New Jersey. Spatio-temporal patterns of settlement during 1989–1998 were determined based on capture location and timing, and eye migration stage. Spring-spawned windowpanes were collected in estuarine, inlet and ocean habitats as larvae, during settlement, and after settlement. Densities of spring-spawned larvae (∼2–10 mm standard length (SL)) peaked in May in all habitats (estuary, inlet, and ocean). Initial settlement of spring-spawned windowpane occurred during May in the inlet and ocean when fish had grown to ∼7–8 mm SL (mid-point of eye migration), but fish did not appear in demersal estuarine collections until June when they were larger and more developmentally advanced (∼24–32 mm SL; post-eye migration). A transitional settlement period, comprised of a progressive habitat shift from pelagic to demersal habitats, is proposed for the spring cohort to explain the observed patterns. Fall-spawned fish of all developmental stages and sizes were virtually absent from estuarine collections. Fall-spawned larval (∼2–10 mm SL) densities peaked in October in inlet and ocean habitats and fish began settling there during the same month at sizes similar to the spring cohort (∼7–8 mm SL). This research confirms that there are important cohort-specific and life-stage dependent differences in young-of-the-year (YOY) windowpane habitat use in southern New Jersey and perhaps in other east coast US estuaries. These differences may affect the overall contribution that each cohort makes to a given year class and thus, may have an important role in determining the recruitment dynamics of this species. Chang, S. and N. F. S. C. (U.S.) (1999). "Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: Windowpane, Scophthalmus aquosus, Life History and Habitat Characteristics. ." NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-137. Retrieved from https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/3127 The windowpane, Scopththalmus aquosus, is an eurythemal, euryhaline, and fast-growing fish with a thin body. It inhabits estuaries, near-shore waters, and the continental shelf in the northwest Atlantic. Windowpane is not a target of the commercial fishing industry, but is mainly caught as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries. It is managed by the New England Fishery Management Council 7 under the Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (NEFMC 1993). This Essential Fish Habitat source document provides information on the life history and habitat characteristics of windowpane. Neuman, M. J. and K. W. Able (1996). "Experimental evidence of sediment preference by early life history stages of windowpane (Scophthalmus aquosus)." Journal of Sea Research 40(1-2): 33-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1385-1101(98)00009-4 We evaluated sediment choice by young-of-the-year (YOY) windowpane, Scophthalmus aquosus, in the laboratory. We gave transitional (8-18 mm SL) and